I just took my first shower since we arrived. I feel like this is an appropriate start to this entry in which I plan on pouring out my heart like water down a drain. Here goes:

I thoroughly enjoyed my boiling lava hot shower. Although refreshed, I walked away feeling guilty; knowing that the children sleeping less than 100 feet away get to bathe twice a week, a cold water bath from a basin.

Having seen the joy on people’s faces when they receive small things we take forgranted, I would love to get some of those kids a warm shower. Think about how that would make them feel! But, someone wiser than I brought into this dialogue a valid point:

Case: At Mirindi, the children used to receive tea and bread for breakfast. The kids love the tea (with milk and sugar). But, their diet has changed based on the experience of one little girl. She went home to spend the night with her grandmother, who prepared the best breakfast she could because seeing her granddaughter was a special occasion. The girl however, did not want to eat her breakfast without tea (with milk and sugar); which the grandmother went to market and bought for the girl. There is no telling how much the grandmother spent on the tea, milk, and sugar.

Point: Mirindi was doing the children a disservice by allowing them to live outside of their realistic means.

What a struggle! It makes me feel like a frog in a pot of slowly boiling water. As Americans, are we doing ourselves a disservice by living in excess? If we are, at what point have we gone too far? Are we like the frog who never realizes the water is getting hot?

Excert from Peter's blog: As a team we discussed the complexities between coming to be here versus sending the money it would cost. This is multiplied by the needs we see and how much that money could do. We visited a woman who has a house supplied by Kenya Relief. She still sleeps on a large straw mat with all of her children. The mat cost $1.50. Again, I was guided by my reading of Shane Claiborne’s “Irresistible Revolution.” “Often wealthy folks ask me what they can do for the Simple Way. I could ask them for a few thousand dollars, but that would be too easy for both of us. Instead, I ask them to come visit. Writing a check makes us feel good and can fool us into thinking we have loved the poor. But seeing the squat houses and tent cities and hungry children will transform our lives. Then we will be stirred to imagine the economics of rebirth and to hunger for the end of poverty.”

Back to the hum-drum of work around Mirindi: we really got a lot done today. We are ready for the boys and girls to leave their marks on the dorms and they’ll be done. Also, I have been chosen, based on my girly handwriting, to design the memorial for Brittney James, the girl who inspired Kenya Relief.

We also got to go to a market in Tanzania! Now I’ve been to three countries in Africa!

On the way home we stopped to see Irine, the widow Peter’s parents sponsor. She has 7 children: Quinter 17, Faith 15, Violet 13, Beatrice 11, Deyan 6, Sammy 4, and Pastor-Craig 1. Yes, Pastor-Craig; Named after Peter’s dad. As soon as we arrived Beatrice latched herself to Peter. It was so cool to see a family personally connected to someone from home. We stayed there a while and enjoyed playing with the kids. As we were preparing to leave, Irine presented Peter with a gift: a chicken! “Roxanne” will be our dinner later this week, hopefully she can help with breakfast too. It was so hard to take form a family who needed much more than we did, also Peter is not too fond of animals and has never held a chicken. He was a champ. But, we had to take the chicken, you don’t want to offend Irine so you really don’t have the option.

I learned much today, there is much to process.

I almost forgot: I got to drive a 4-wheeler on a real Kenyan road, dodge bikes and pedestrians, pass cars, and drive on the left side!

Again, sorry for the lack of communication, I'm practically in the bush!

Labels: Kenya